Volume 1, Chapter 6: During This Year of Combat

Gao Yuan had no idea what Qiao Shan was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared.

He strolled out of the school gates, walked to his bicycle, sat on the back seat, and waited listlessly for the bell that would mark the end of the exam.

Twenty minutes later, the exam concluded.

The students who had taken the test filed out one after another, their expressions looking more dejected than the last, which made Gao Yuan chuckle. He recalled that the admission rate for this year was less than 4.8%. With 5.7 million candidates nationwide, the ratio was 29 to 1—the competition was incredibly brutal.

His aunt, Gao Yueran, emerged with a bright smile, though she cast a meaningful look in his direction.

"Looks like you did well," Gao Yuan said with a grin as he hopped off the back seat.

"Xiao Yuan, did you know the exam questions in advance?" Gao Yueran asked in a low voice, checking to make sure no one was nearby.

When the papers were handed out, she had been shocked. Although the question types had shifted slightly, it was the same old wine in a new bottle—it was almost identical to the practice paper she had worked on at noon. This made her suspect that her nephew had somehow gotten hold of the questions beforehand.

Gao Yuan would never admit to that, even if his life depended on it.

He feigned panic, glanced around again, and said urgently, "Aunt, you can’t go around saying things like that! You know how serious a leak in the college entrance exam is. Besides, I’ve been staying home and studying diligently for the past few days; I haven’t even stepped out the door. Where would I go to steal exam questions? I don't have the connections, nor do I have the guts."

Hearing this, Gao Yueran realized her suspicions were groundless. She was frightened by his words—a leak was a catastrophic matter. If investigated by the authorities, hundreds of thousands of students in Beijing would have to retake the exam. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. "Xiao Yuan, I spoke out of turn. I shouldn’t have doubted you. Don’t take it to heart."

With one hand on the handlebars and the other around his aunt’s shoulder, Gao Yuan smiled. "We’re family; why would I mind? To be honest, I only managed to guess the questions right because of good luck. For the math and Chinese exams tomorrow, I might not be so lucky."

He felt a twinge of regret; he had been a bit too accurate with the history test. He decided that once they got home, he wouldn't leak all the questions for math and Chinese to his aunt. He would intentionally include a few errors—as long as he helped her get into college and fulfill her dreams, that would be enough. He was confident he could manage that.

Seeing his aunt nod, Gao Yuan swung his leg over the bicycle. Once she was seated, he put his back into it, pedaling like lightning toward Xinkailu Alley.

Several classmates nearby stared with wide eyes, thinking, *No matter how good your bike is, you can't just thrash it like that! It hurts just to watch.*

When the aunt and nephew arrived home, it was just past four o'clock. Everyone else was still at work, and Aunt Liu was tucked away in her room, leaving the courtyard gloomy and quiet.

Zhang Xuemei was busy in the kitchen.

Their kitchen was a makeshift structure they had built after moving in—a simple lean-to made of bricks and tar paper in the corner of the south wall. It was packed full with a honeycomb coal stove and a dish cabinet. Beside the kitchen, a few bricks were laid out with a wooden board on top, upon which honeycomb coal was stacked neatly and covered with plastic sheeting. It was the mark of a tidy family. Unlike sloppy neighbors like Liu Xiangqian and Aunt Liu, who left their coal out in the rain to turn into black puddles that flooded the courtyard, their area was always clean.

Gao Yuan parked the bike and snuck into the kitchen on tiptoe. He stood behind his mother and shouted, "Mom!"

"Goodness! You brat, you want to scare me to death?" Zhang Xuemei, who was busy preparing dinner, jumped and gave him a playful swat.

His mother was just over forty, with a slender figure and still a hint of her former charm. Despite working as a barefoot doctor in the countryside for a few years, she hadn't suffered too much, and she was actually healthier than his father, who worked hard every day.

Gao Yuan laughed heartlessly and leaned in. "What’s for dinner?"

Zhang Xuemei lifted a steamer cloth and pulled out a slab of pork belly, half-fat and half-lean. "I’m making Zha Jiang Mian (noodles with soybean paste) for you."

Gao Yuan’s eyes went round. "Where did you get pork belly?"

He had been back for over ten days, and he hadn't even tasted a scrap of meat. It wasn't that they couldn't afford it; it was that there was none to be found. His parents’ combined wages were over eighty yuan, enough to live on, but urban residents were only supplied with three to five taels of pork per person per month. A family that improved their diet twice a month was considered extravagant. The piece of meat in his mother’s hand was at least half a jin.

Zhang Xuemei whispered, "I went out this afternoon and ran into a butcher from the countryside near Cangjingge Alley. He didn’t dare make a scene, so he was selling meat on the sly. When he saw I had three jin of rice, he offered to trade. The meat looked fresh and the deal was fair, so I swapped."

Given current prices, pork was seventy-five cents per jin, while rice was about eighteen cents. Gao Yuan knew his mother had traded rice for the pork. Was it a good deal? If his mother said it was, then it was. He understood her intentions—she saw how hard he was studying for the entrance exam and was trying to nourish him.

He hugged his mother’s shoulders. "Mom, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble."

His mother wasn't used to such sudden affection. She turned with a smile and said, "Don't get all sentimental; it makes me uncomfortable. Go study and stop causing trouble."

Gao Yuan agreed and let her go. Turning around, he saw his aunt watching them with a smile. Feeling a bit shy, he walked over, took her arm, and said, "Come on, let’s go. I’ll find you two more practice papers. Your foundation is too weak; we need to brush up."

"You brat, couldn't get any affection from your mom, so you’re picking on your aunt?" Gao Yueran swatted him, but seeing his grinning face, she let him pull her into the room.

Gao Yuemin didn’t return until nearly seven o'clock. With his son taking the college entrance exam, he hadn't asked for leave, just told his workshop director he’d be a bit late.

The environment this year was more relaxed than in previous years, and the tide was turning. Gao Yuemin had heard rumors that the authorities were planning to remove the "Rightist" labels entirely. If that policy were implemented, his eldest brother would have a future again.

He had even better news today: the dean of the college’s academic affairs had found him at the steel plant and told him, "Get ready. The college is going to bring you back before the end of the year to resume teaching advanced mathematics. After the New Year, once the new students arrive, you’ll be back on the podium."

This news kept Gao Yuemin in high spirits all day. Even his workshop director’s attitude had softened, becoming surprisingly amiable.

As soon as he walked in, he saw his son and sister sitting head-to-head at the table, whispering. He paused, walked over, and asked, "Yueran, is your work not busy?"

Gao Yueran turned around, saw her second brother, and smiled shyly. "Second brother, I took leave to take the college entrance exam."

Gao Yuemin was taken aback, then laughed. "Good, good! Don't miss this opportunity. Maybe our family will produce three college students this year."

"That's a given," Gao Yuan replied.

"Ha! So confident," Gao Yuemin ruffled Gao Yuan’s hair. "Let’s eat first. Study after dinner."

Zhang Xuemei pushed aside the curtain and walked in with a bowl of fragrant, savory soybean paste. Gao Yuemin took a sniff and beamed. "Oh, Zha Jiang Mian today? We’re in for a treat."

Zhang Xuemei rolled her eyes at him. "You’re benefiting from your son and sister’s hard work."

Gao Yuemin laughed heartily. "True, true. I’ll go help you with the noodles."

He headed to the kitchen and returned with four bowls. Zhang Xuemei followed with two side dishes: shredded potatoes and white radish strips.

Beijingers were particular about Zha Jiang Mian. In summer, it was served with cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, and peas; in winter, it was celery, radish, egg ribbons, and soybeans. With times being tough, there wasn't much room for such luxury, but having the noodles with two side dishes was more than enough to be satisfied.

As Gao Yuan mixed his noodles, he noticed his father’s high spirits and guessed the reason, but asked anyway, "Dad, any good news? You seem really happy today."

Gao Yuemin took a bite of noodles. Seeing his wife and sister also looking at him, he smiled. "The organization is reinstating me. I just got to work this morning when Director Zhou from the academic affairs office told me to prepare to return to the college."

Zhang Xuemei’s face lit up. "That’s wonderful! That’s truly great news."

Gao Yueran thought for a moment and asked, "Second brother, if you’re going back to work, shouldn't the organization return the house they took from you?"

"I haven't asked about that yet, but surely they should, right?"

"They definitely should, but you’ll have to take the initiative and ask the college leadership, Dad," Gao Yuan said.

"Xiao Yuan is right," Zhang Xuemei added. "You have to be proactive and keep pushing. If you don't bring it up, the leaders certainly won't go out of their way to return it to you."

Gao Yuemin thought it over and made up his mind. "Once I report to the college, I’ll speak with the leadership and make sure to get the house back as soon as possible."

...

That night, his aunt slept with his mother. His father was relegated to the outer room to sleep on the bunk bed with Gao Yuan.

The next morning, the wind was biting. After breakfast, Zhang Xuemei put a cotton hat on Gao Yuan’s head. He resisted—it ruined his look—but he couldn't let his mother’s kindness go to waste. He put on his military overcoat and pulled his aunt, who was also bundled up tightly, out the door.

At nine in the morning, the math exam began. For Gao Yuan, the questions were too simple. As he had the day before, he finished, checked his answers a few times, and handed in his paper early.

At 1:30 PM, the final exam, Chinese, began.

The first question was a composition: "In This Year of Struggle."

Gao Yuan had a vivid memory of this topic. He remembered that the composition written by Liu Xuehong, the top student in Beijing that year, had been published in the *People’s Daily*. Based on her own experience, she had described how she, as an ordinary educated youth, had made great contributions in the vast countryside.

When the newspaper published the article, the exam scores hadn't even been released yet. Later, that composition received a score of 99 (equivalent to a perfect score), and Liu Xuehong became famous overnight.